We, the people’ must enforce term limits

The so-called government so-called shutdown and Democrat vs. Republican bickering have been the subject of a nauseating amount of articles lately.

Teresa Makar

To the editor:

The so-called government so-called shutdown and Democrat vs. Republican bickering have been the subject of a nauseating amount of articles lately.

In truth, only 17 percent of the government was shut down, and furloughed employees will receive back-pay when they return to work.

I think we can all agree that the root of it all has been the Affordable Care Act; and that if we voters were the referees of political disputes, there would be a lot fewer of them.

If every single voter in America had the following on a ballot at their particular polling place: “Do you want the ACA to remain the law or do you want it repealed?” not only would there be record-shattering voter turnout, but that law would be repealed in a landslide.

Unfortunately for us, the government is not for the people and it certainly doesn’t represent us, either. Once elected, the mission of all politicians is to advance personal agendas and win re-election. If government were truly representative of the people, every member of Congress would seek approval of their own constituents before voting on a piece of legislation.

None of us should kid ourselves thinking that idea will ever be a reality; but I would like to propose a variation of “three strikes, you’re out” for voters. If used consistently, it will force the government to move much closer to the people.

No one in Washington, D.C., will ever agree to amend the Constitution such that either half of Congress had a three-term limit, but we the voters can use the ballot box as a vehicle for booting out the dead wood after he or she has served (or not, as the case may be) three terms. Nobody would be able to build up political clout and the D.C. establishments in both parties would cease to exist.

Imagine if it became trendy at the local level, too — corruption wouldn’t have enough time to move past the inception stage, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

It is past time for us to acknowledge that voting is no longer a contest of Democrat vs. Republican, and it is very much a contest between us and them.

We, the people, can and should be the enforcers of bona fide change by making sure nobody in D.C. ever reaches a fourth term.